S-O students to receive free breakfasts, lunches

Sibley-Ocheyedan students will get free breakfast and lunch during the 2021-2022 school year.

The Seamless Summer Option (SSO), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will allow all students to eat for free every day, regardless of income.

Students in grades 5-12 will have options to get extra "ala carte" items such as chips, cookies, fruit snacks and more during lunch. They will still need to pay for these items, as they are not free.

The federal Summer P-EBT Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer food assistance program allows states to issue emergency food assistance benefits this summer to all children who were eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals during the 2020-21 school year.

This includes school children who were eligible for National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free or reduced-price school meals but did not receive P-EBT benefits because they attended school in person and had access to a meal service at school. It also includes children who are newly determined eligible for free or reduced-price meals during the covered summer period.

For more information, visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/ and search for P-EBT.